Many constructional toys enable creative assembly into diverse forms. Thus for example GB 2384721 teaches a construction toy comprised of brick like elements which have receiving means extending through and mats with receiving means representing mortar, to be joined together by plastic dowels for constructing buildings of different designs.
Similarly, GB 2108857 comprises a building toy system with a basic element of two components secured together into which orthogonally arranged securing means such as rods, dowels or pegs may be introduced, thus enabling free building of different shapes, while GB 214821 teaches a toy building element having right angled corners and equispaced grooves that may be connected by using hinges, clips, bolts etc.
Finally, JP 4161186 proposes a kit with hollow elements that may be interconnected using separate connecting members that fit into receiving means in the elements.
All of these toys may be directed at the creative power of the child and propose an amusing, variable pastime as well as the development of mechanical skills.
Different kinds of constructional games pose technical and logical problems due to certain predefined limitations of structure that make the task of creating a construction of preset shape an intellectual challenge. It is characteristic of these games that the main configuration remains unchanged.
A well known example is Rubik's cube. Another example is UK 4605 (of 1909) consisting of a box to be moved around inside a cube made of an inner part and an outer part until it is released. Yet another example is a special logical toy, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,665 that has a total of 26 elements mounted on a spherical internal connecting element. The toy elements, marked by colors, numbers etc., are mixed by rotation and the objective is to return them to the original arrangement.
There is a need for a game that combines creative freedom and intellectual challenge by providing separate building elements with connecting pieces that may be freely assembled into a large variety of different composite building elements and wherein the said different composite building elements have different configurations and connecting pieces may be attached on the faces of the said composite building elements in various positions such that a nearly infinite number of final structures may be created by assembling the said composite building elements, but only a limited number of modes of assembly for a predefined final structure exist when using the same composite building elements.
There is a need for a game in which a large variety of different puzzles may be created by a first player using the same kit of building elements and connecting pieces by assembling different composite building elements with different arrays of connecting pieces on their faces, and creating a final structure by assembling the said composite elements, which final structure may then be presented as a puzzle to a second player to disassemble and reconstruct the said final structure using the same composite building elements.
There is a need for a puzzle game in which the level of intellectual challenge may be controlled according to the players' wish or to their abilities while using the same basic building elements and connecting pieces.